Allegations
of financial mismanagement by Debbie Fuller, former director of the St.
Cloud
Area American Indian Center, have resulted in documents being turned
over to
law enforcement officials for investigation and possible criminal
prosecution
of Fuller, according to an informed source."She
was asked to bring the financial reports to the board
meetings, but" Fuller claimed the information was "not
available," the source said.

"In June," the board
"had to go to the bank to get copies" of cancelled checks" in
order to ascertain the financial situation at the Indian Center, and
"when
they got copies of checks written to on the Indian Center account, they
noticed" that the Board member's counter-signature on the checks appear
to
have been forged, the source said.One
of the members of the Board of Directors has reportedly filed a
notarized
statement that "he never signed any checks that Fuller has written,"
and his counter-signature on Indian center checks is allegedly
different than
his signature on that sworn and witnessed statement.

Nancy Harliss, who took over
management of the Indian center last September, is reportedly "meeting
with police" in efforts to resolve any problems.

Another
source familiar with the operations of the Indian Center during much of
Fuller's six years as director said that although she was unaware of
the
specifics, she was "not surprised" at the allegations of problems
dating from Fuller's administration.Drum
groups and others providing services to the Indian
center were
"always paid in cash," she said, "not checks," and they
were "paid 'very well'," despite what she describes as a generally
"low turnout" for events."There was never
a full board in place," the former
insider
continued, operations at the Indian center were "so unstructured,"
and "the way they handled things was irresponsible."

Harliss,
the current director of the Indian
center, told Press/ON that, "at this point in time, I am not at
liberty to say anything," and that she has been "advised not to talk
by the people that we're working with."This
writer asked, "I suppose you can't tell me who you're
working
with?"Harliss said that she had
been advised not to.

Harliss
characterized the operations of the St. Cloud Area American Indian
Center -- a
different organization than the Indian Center associated with the
University at
St. Cloud -- as small-scale."We
operate on soft money," funded by "grants that we write, and
donations from the community," Harliss said.

During the
eleven-plus months that she has directed the Indian center, Harliss
said that
the budget has been "less than $25,000," including grant money from
the Bremer Foundation.Services
currently offered by the Indian center include "social services, for
example an emergency food shelf," as well as a "dress for
success" program and a summer "arts and crafts program for
kids."The Indian center has
reportedly also received grant funding in the past from the McKnight
Foundation
and the Bush Foundation.

Harliss
indicated that in addition to resolving the problems currently facing
the
Indian center, she hopes to improve programming at the Indian center to
better
serve the "about 400 Indian families" in the St. Cloud area.

According
to one community member who asked not to be named, under Harliss's
management
things have already improved at the St. Cloud Area Indian Center.There is "a new office, an area to do
crafts, a play area for kids ...it's
more like an Indian center than what Debbie [Fuller] had."She said that she would like to see more
women's programming at the Indian center, including crafts programs
where women
could "come and quilt and do things."

There are
hopes in the community that "when the whole (financial) mess is
straightened up," community members can "put together a benefit"
concert to help get the Indian center "back on their feet again ... to
get
the people back again," re-involved with the Indian center.